Why more hair salons now offer hijab-friendly services so women can 'feel normal'

Aya Ahmet and her mother Jenan have both heard a fair share of bizarre and often laughable speculations about their hijab a head covering worn by many practicing Muslim women.

"Do you shower in it?"

"Do you sleep in it?"

"Do you get hot in the summertime?"

One misconceptionthat's especially striking for the London, Ont., women is when some people think they never remove their head scarves, or care for their hair.

"That's not true," said Jenan.

In fact, a growing number of hair salons in the city and across the nation are offering the privacy required for hijab-clad women to receive services without worrying about male employees or clients catching a glimpse of what's underneath.

The steptoward inclusivity is helping to break down the misconceptions related to the Islamic dress ultimately empowering the women underneath it.

• Women don Muslim headscares at 'Hijab for a Day' event

How it works

A woman who chooses to wear the hijab is required to cover her hair and most of her body from men outside of her immediate and extended family circles. The Islamic guideline may differ among a spectrumof religious schools of thought.

This makes it difficult for some Muslim women to walk into a regular salon and ask for a haircut or a stylish do.

"Just because you wear a headscarf, it doesn't mean you don't take pride in your appearance or you don't want to get your hair coloured it's the exact opposite," said Lamees Ammoury, who represents three salons in London including the Cut Above and Sami and Naji.

After being showered with outside requests for hijab-friendly services, professional salons like the one Ammouryrepresents began offering Muslim clients the privacy they need inclosed-off areas in the salon.

"Underneath those scarves is abeautiful head of hair that has been coloured,cut and styled and these women are very stylish. Coming to a professional salon makes themfeel more included, too," she said.

Ammourysaid an appointment would have to be scheduled ahead of time to ensure that no male staffers are workingat the time of the service.

Some salons, includingTrade Secrets Glamour Secrets in south London, are even putting up large screens around salon chairs to block off the area from plain sight.

"[The Muslim clients]can come in and when they go out they can put their hijab back on. They pay and they leave and they're just like anyregular customer," said co-owner Linda Kurtz.

You feel like you're just a normal person walking into a salon- Aya Ahmet

"We are raised in an areawhere there'salways someone from a different background. Our inclination is to be friendly and accept humans." she said.

Both Ammoury and Kurtz said they would consider offering a private room for a service,however both cited space as a setback.

'You feel accepted'

Before discovering the hijab-friendly services at Sami and Naji, Jenanand her daughter didn't have much of a choice.

Like many covered women do in a fit of desperation, Jenan resorted to often unlicensed salons in the homes of "so-called"hair dressers who are women.

"It's not bad but I don't feel comfortable," she said, recalling a nightmarish experience where she was left alone in the salon chair while her hair dresser was tending to other home duties.

"I don't like it. It doesn't feel professional."

Although not all private women's-only salons will draw in similar experiences, Jenan said, nothing can be compared to the "normal feeling"of walking into a professional hair salon.

"You feel accepted," she said.

"You feel like you're just a normal person walking into a salon you walk in, book your appointment, go to the back, cut your hair and walk right back out as if it's a normal thing," added Aya.

• Hijab hacks: Two Windsor women share advice on World Hijab Day

'Behind the chair'

Debbie Renaud has worked on the educational side of the hairindustry for about fourdecades.

The co-ordinator of the hair stylist program at Fanshawe College said that there's progress happening behind the salon chair and in the classroom.

"We welcome the change and we're looking at providing educational services about it," she said, citing that her students have worked on case studies related to the hijab in years past.

"What culturally are we going to do?How are we going to change the atmosphere? How can we corner off an area of our student-run salons so we could provide those types of services?"

She said her student-run salons haveincorporated many multicultural elements including working on practice mannequin heads ofall colours with an array of hair types.

Renaudhopes to seemore professional hair salonsadoptforward-looking serviceslike the hijab-friendly practice.

As for Aya and Jenan,they're grateful for the change that has given them much more than just stylish hairdo but the courage to break down some stigmas surrounding the Islamic dress.